Raintight enclosure with multiple covers

ABSTRACT

An enclosure has a rear wall, a pair of opposite side walls, a bottom wall, a flange cap providing a top wall, and a front cover including upper and lower cover portions each having side flanges. The side flanges of the upper cover portion are pivotally connected to the enclosure side walls at their upper front portions, one side flange of the lower cover portion is pivotally connected to one enclosure side wall and the upper cover portion overlaps the lower cover portion when the lower cover portion and upper cover portion are closed.

United States Patent. [191 Cantrell [451 Feb. 26, 1974 RAINTIGHT ENCLOSURE WITH MULTIPLE COVERS [75] Inventor: William T. Cantrell, Lexington, Ky.

['7 3] Assignee: Square D Company, Park Ridge, 11].

[22] Filed: July 25, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 274,923

52 US. Cl. 220/29 [51] Int. Cl B65d51/18 [58] Field of Search 220/29, 31, 32

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,656,948 10/1953 McGee 220/29 3/1958 Maron 220/29 Primary Examiner-George T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or Firm'Harold J. Rathbun; William F. Porter, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT Y An enclosure has a rear wall, a pair of opposite side walls, a bottom wall, a flange cap providing a top wall, and a front cover including upper and lower cover portions each having side flanges. The side flanges of the upper cover portion are pivotally connected to the enclosure side walls at their upper front portions, one side flange of the lower cover portion is pivotally connected to one enclosure side wall and the upper cover portion overlaps the lower cover portion when the lower. cover portion and upper cover portion are closed.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENIE rmsmm FIG. 1'5

FIG. 5

1 RAINTIGHT ENCLOSURE WITH MULTIPLE COVERS This invention relates generally to raintight enclosures for electrical devices, and more particularly to enclosures having front covers consisting of a plurality of cover portions.

One object of the invention is'to providea pivotal front cover which is easily, but not accidentally, removable for a wide range of heights of raintight enclosures.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a cover which includes structure for bracing at least the upper portion thereof in an open position. Still another object of the invention is to provide such a cover of which only a relatively light portion need be lifted against the force of gravity.

Other objects. features and advantages will become apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, taken together with the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, taken generally from the front, of the enclosure constructed in accordance with the invention; v

FIG. 2 is a view of the enclosure taken from the same perspective and showing the upper and lower cover portions thereof in their respective open positions;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the enclosure shown in FlGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation of the enclosure; FIG. 5 is a detailed view in cross section showing a typical mounting connection for the upper cover portion; and l FIG. 6 is a detailed view in cross section showing the cover latching assembly for the enclosure.

With refere nce'to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an enclosure 10 suitable for use as an electrical panelboard and including an open-front box 12 and a cover, generally designated 14. Box 12 has a pair of opposite side walls 16 and 18 and a rear wall20 (FIG. 2) preferably formed from a single piece of steel. A flanged bottom piece is welded onto the inside of the walls 16, 18 and 20 to provide the bottom wall 22, and a flanged top cap is welded to the outside of walls l6, l8 and 20 to provide a top wall 24.

The mounting means for upper cover portion 28 may be any suitable configuration which permits upper cover portion 28.to be braced in its open uppermost position (shown in FIG. 2) and'to be swung downwardly into its closed position (shown in F lGS. l, 3 and 4). Such a mounting means is disclosed in Rys application Ser. No. 194,349, filed Nov. 1, 1971 now Pat.

No. 3,768,62Q, issuedQctober30, 1973, in which the front and upper edge portions of the top cap flanges (corresponding to flanges 48 and 50) are outwardly offset respectively away from the box side walls 16 and 18 in order to provide room for the cover flanges '42 The cover 14 includes lower cover portion 26 and an upper cover portion 28. Lower cover portion 26 has a pair of side flanges 30 and 32 exposed outwardly of the side walls 16 and 18 of box 12, has a bottom exposed v flange 34 exposed below-the bottom wall 22 of the box 12 when the lower cover portion 26 is closed and has an, upper flange 35. Side flange 30 is pivotablysecured by suitable means, such as hinges 36, to the lower portion ofside wall 16 of the box and side flange 32 of lower'cover portion 26 has an eye-bolt bracket 38 welded thereto and arranged to be secured to an eye bolt 40 secured to the exterior of side wall 18 of box 12. Upper cover portion 28 has a pair of side flanges 42 and 44 exposed'outwardly of the upper portion of side walls 16 and 18, respectively, ofbox 12 and has a flange 46 secured to and extending exteriorly around the bottom edge of upper cover portion 28. A rectangular latching aperture 47 is provided through a central portion of flange 46. Top cap 24 includes a pair of relatively large side flanges 48 and 50 which extend downwardly in covering relationship to the mounting means, hereinafter described, for upper cover portion 28.

and 44, which are identical and of which, therefore, only one is shown inFlG.'5. Each of the upper portions of flanges 42 and 44 is provided with an elongated slot (not shown) and the upper front portion of each of the respective side walls 16 and 18 is provided with an aperture for the reception of a suitable fastener, such as self-tapping screw 52, which is received in the aperture in the side wall 16 or 18 and the elongated aperture in the respective flange 42 or 44' and has detent means to prevent accidental slippage of a screw 52 from the apertures in which it has been received.

Top cap 24 also is provided with afront flange 54 inside of which the upper edge of the upper cover portion 28 fits, when the cover. is in its closed position, to provide raintightness. As is illustrated in the abovereferenced Rys application, side walls 16 and 18 are notched at their upper front portions to provide depending interlocked projections which are arranged to cooperate respectively with a pair of holes in an upper edge portion of. upper cover portion 28, respectively adjacent flanges 42 and 44. The upper cover portion 28 may be moved from a closed to a braced-open position upwardly from box 12 and, when upper cover portion 28 has been moved to the position illustrated in FIG. 2 of this application, pushing upper cover portion 28 rearwardly, moving the slotted flanges downwardly through a small arc until the interlock projections are disposed in the respective holes'in the upper edge portiohs of upper cover portion 28, respectively adjacent to flanges 42 and 44. Upper cover portion 28 cannot then be pulled-out without first pivoting it: back upwardly and then 'pullin'g cover portion 28 outwardly from box 12.

Flange 46 is secured to and around the bottom edge of upper cover portion 28 and overlaps andextends around the upper flange 35 of lower cover portion 26 when first lower cover portion 26 and then upper cover portion 28 have been moved from their respective open positions (shown in FIG. 2) to their respective closed positions (shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4).

An elongated strip of steel is secured to the upper flange 35 of lower cover portion 26 and is formed to define a latch 56 having a first portion 56a extending outwardly upwardly from flange 35, a second portion 56b extending vertically downwardly from portion 565 along the front of cover portion 26, a third'portion 560 which extends outwardly from the front of cover por- .from third portion 56c and terminates in end 56e.

Latch portion 560 is arranged to pass through aperture 47 in flange when lower cover portion 26 is closed first and then upper cover portion 28 is moved toward its closed position. As upper cover portion 28 is moved further toward its closed position theloweredge'of api erture 47 engages tongue portion 56d and flexes it upwardly until flange 46 passes. inwardly beyond end 56e, whereupon tongue portion 56d returns to its unflexed position with end 56e disposed below aperture 47 and, therefore, upper'cover portion 28 is latched in place. When it is desired to open upper cover portion 28, tongue portion 56d may be flexed upwardly, for example, by a thumb, until end 56e is aligned with aperture 47 and flange 46 may then be rotated outwardly over latch 56 and rocked upwardly into its braced-open posltion.

The raintight enclosure described is especially advantageous in applications in which the enclosure height is relatively large since the height of the lower cover portion may be increased as desired while that of the upper cover portion, which must be lifted against the force of gravity, remains constant and, therefore, the enclosure remains raintight without appreciably increasing the force required to open the cover portions.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shownand described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications in form and detail may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

. I s a 1- eased closure comprising:

an open-front box having a top wall and a pair of opposite side walls,

an upper cover movable between open and closed positions, having a pair of spaced-apart opposite side flanges in straddling relationship with upper portions of the side walls of the box when in the closed position, and being pivotally mounted for rotation about a first axis extending parallel to the top wall of the box,

ilfiii ilagi aiiasaia d a lower cover movable between open and closed posi- I tions, having a pair, of spaced-apart opposite side flanges in straddling relationship with lower portions of the side walls of the box when inthe closed position, and being pivotally mounted for rotation about a second axis extending parallel to the side walls of the box,

a lower portion of the upper cover overlapping an upper portion of the lower cover when the covers are in their respective closed positions, and

the top wall of the box having a pairof spaced apart side flange portions extending down: wardly in straddling relationship with the side; walls of the box and the side flanges of the upper cover. I

2. An enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first cover is pivotally mounted along the upper front edge of the box and is the upper one of the covers, and the Second we is piy ta ea a leaafteatsse of the side walls has a pair of spaced ofa side wall of the box and i s the lower one of the covers.

3. An enclosure as claimed in claim 2 wherein each apertures in an upper portion thereof,

each of the side flanges of the upper cover has an aperture in an upper portion thereof aligned with one of the apertures in its respective side wall,

the upper cover is pivotally mounted by a piar of generally cylindrical mounting pins each extending through one aperture in its respective side wall of the box and through the aligned aperture in a respective one of the side flanges of the upper cover,

the lower cover has one of its side flanges rotatably secured to one of the side walls, and

the enclosure further comprises structure defining means for fastening each of the mounting pins in alignment with both one of the apertures in its respective side wall and the aligned aperture in the respective side flange of the upper cover.

4. An enclosure as claimed in claim 3 further comprising structure defining means for securing the other .side flange of the lower cover to its respective side wall.

,overlaps the lower one of the covers.

6. An enclosure as claimed in claim 5 wherein the upper one of the covers has an aperture extending .therethrough and the means for releasably securing comprises an elongated strip of metal having a first portion secured to an edge of the lower one of the covers and being formed to define a second portion extending adjacent the front wall of the lower one of the covers, a third portion extending generally outwardly from the front wall and a fourth flexible portion extending in.-

wardly and at an incline fromthe third portion, the sec- 0 0nd, third and fourth portions being arranged to be received in the, aperture through the upper one of the covers when the upper one of the covers is moved toward its closed position and the fourth portion being further arranged to be flexed from an initial position 5 into alignment with the third portion by the upper one of the covers as the aperture through the upper 'one of -the covers passes around the fourth portion and to return to the initial position and to latch the upper one of the covers'in its closed position after the aperture has moved interiorly of the fourth portion.

Lgnclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top wall ofmasadownwardlyexfiending front flange portion overlapping an upper portion of the upper cover when the upper cover is in the closed position. i 

1. An enclosure for electrical apparatus, said enclosure comprising: an open-front box having a top wall and a pair of opposite side walls, an upper cover movable between open and closed positions, having a pair of spaced-apart opposite side flanges in straddling relationship with upper portions of the side walls of the box when in the closed position, and being pivotally mounted for rotation about a first axis extending parallel to the top wall of the box, a lower cover movable between open and closed positions, having a pair of spaced-apart opposite side flanges in straddling relationship with lower portions of the side walls of the box when in the closed position and being pivotally mounted for rotation about a second axis extending parallel to the side walls of the box, a lower portion of the upper cover overlapping an upper portion of the lower cover when the covers are in their respective closed positions, and the top wall of the box having a pair of spaced-apart side flange portions extending downwardly in straddling relationship with the side walls of the box and the side flanges of the upper cover.
 2. An enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top wall of the box has a downwardly extending front flange portion overlapping an upper portion of the upper cover when the upper cover is in the closed position.
 3. An enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the side walls has a pair of spaced apertures in an upper portion thereof, each of the side flanges of the upper cover has an aperture in an upper portion thereof aligned with one of the apertures in its respective side wall, the upper cover is pivotally mounted by a piar of generally cylindrical mounting pins each extending through one aperture in its respective side wall of the box and through the aligned aperture in a respective one of the side flanges of the upper cover, the lower cover has one of its side flanges rotatably secured to one of the side walls, and the enclosure further comprises structure defining means for fastening each of the mounting pins in alignment with both one of the apertures in its respective side wall and the aligned aperture in the respective side flange of the upper cover.
 4. An enclosure as claimed in claim 3 further comprising structure defining means for securing the other side flange of the lower cover to its respective side wall.
 5. An enclosure as claimed in claim 1 further comprising structure defining means secured to one of the covers for releasably securing the covers to each other when the one cover is moved from its open position to its closed position and the upper one of the covers overlaps the lower one of the covers.
 6. An enclosure as claimed in claim 5 wherein the upper one of the covers has an aperture extending therethrough and the means for releasably securing comprises an elongated strip oF metal having a first portion secured to an edge of the lower one of the covers and being formed to define a second portion extending adjacent the front wall of the lower one of the covers, a third portion extending generally outwardly from the front wall and a fourth flexible portion extending inwardly and at an incline fromthe third portion, the second, third and fourth portions being arranged to be received in the aperture through the upper one of the covers when the upper one of the covers is moved toward its closed position and the fourth portion being further arranged to be flexed from an initial position into alignment with the third portion by the upper one of the covers as the aperture through the upper one of the covers passes around the fourth portion and to return to the initial position and to latch the upper one of the covers in its closed position after the aperture has moved interiorly of the fourth portion. 